Defenders of the Vortex...
I picked up Defenders of the Vortex around the time when Robotech was making a splash on video (mid '80s) and there was suddenly a mad scramble by various video distributors to release whatever they could...
For the longest time I didn't have a clue what Defenders of the Vortex was. But one fine day I realized that this is the Cyborg 009 movie (circa 1980) with about 40 minutes removed. The running time of the original theatrical release was 130 minutes. Cyborg 004, who keeps weapons all over his body, is supposed to die during the course of the movie. Frankly, it's been a while since I last saw this feature, so, I don't remember if Cyborg 004's death was edited or removed entirely from this version.
The story suffers greatly from the hacking and what was left of the animation wasn't worth watching. I wasn't really a fan of Cyborg 009 anyway and this pretty well sealed the deal for me. In case you were wondering, Zoa gains access to the power of the Vortex and is ultimately destroyed by that power. I used to have the dubbed VHS version. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep it in my archive. I gave Defenders of the Vortex a 0 out of 5.
Just as the scientist Dr. Cosmo is about to unravel the secret of the Vortex, the most powerful force in the universe, the evil space alien Zoa captures him. Zoa plots to learn how to tap into the Vortex to become the universe's invincible ruler. Only the Galaxy Legion, nine super-beings each with a special power, can save Dr. Cosmo. Will the diabolical Zoa rule the universe?
For the longest time I didn't have a clue what Defenders of the Vortex was. But one fine day I realized that this is the Cyborg 009 movie (circa 1980) with about 40 minutes removed. The running time of the original theatrical release was 130 minutes. Cyborg 004, who keeps weapons all over his body, is supposed to die during the course of the movie. Frankly, it's been a while since I last saw this feature, so, I don't remember if Cyborg 004's death was edited or removed entirely from this version.The story suffers greatly from the hacking and what was left of the animation wasn't worth watching. I wasn't really a fan of Cyborg 009 anyway and this pretty well sealed the deal for me. In case you were wondering, Zoa gains access to the power of the Vortex and is ultimately destroyed by that power. I used to have the dubbed VHS version. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep it in my archive. I gave Defenders of the Vortex a 0 out of 5.
